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Martin Henry Carpenter

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Martin Henry Carpenter

Birth	:	12 Sep 1818 Lincoln County, North Carolina, USA
Death	:	12 Jan 1892 Calaveras County, California, USA
Burial	:	Altaville Protestant Cemetery, Angels Camp, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate	:	38.0785027, -120.5598450
Description	:	Martin Henry Carpenter was one of thirteen children. His parents were John Carpenter (Birth: 1792/Death 1815) and Mary Magdaline Ramseur (Birth: 1716/Death: 1873). Martin was born 12 September 1818, in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Being a bachelor, he felt free venture to gold fields in the west to seek his fortune. In 1848, at the age of 31, he came to Angels Camp in Altaville, Calaveras County, California, near where gold was first found by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter’s Mill. Angels Camp is where Mark Twain based his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” on a... Read More	Martin Henry Carpenter was one of thirteen children. His parents were John Carpenter (Birth: 1792/Death 1815) and Mary Magdaline Ramseur (Birth: 1716/Death: 1873). Martin was born 12 September 1818, in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Being a bachelor, he felt free venture to gold fields in the west to seek his fortune. In 1848, at the age of 31, he came to Angels Camp in Altaville, Calaveras County, California, near where gold was first found by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter’s Mill. Angels Camp is where Mark Twain based his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” on a story he claimed to have heard at the Angels Hotel in 1865. Today the event is commemorated with a Jumping Frog Jubilee each May at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds, just east of the city. Because of this, Angels Camp is sometimes referred to as "Frogtown." Martin owned a gold mine in the vicinity of Altaville, which he operated, but he also operated an “arrastra” near his mine and found it to be more profitable than digging in the ground for gold. An arrastra, also known as a Mexican Rastra, was a primitive method used by early miners to process gold and silver ores. It was introduced to the new world by the Spanish in the 1500’s. They were used throughout the world, often at remote locations where other processing methods were not feasible. It’s simple yet effective design made it a valuable tool for the early prospectors to process ore on location, without having to transport tons of material to a stamp mill. Arrastras were designed to extract the valuable gold or silver that was locked in host material. Unlike placer mining, gold that is mined from lode sources require crushing to extract the gold from rock. The basic design generally used two large flat stones that were dragged around a circular pit made from flat stones. The drag stones were attached to a central pivot which allowed them to be dragged repeatedly over the ore that was placed in the arrastra. They were typically powered by horses or mules, although some were powered by waterwheels and even steam engines in later years. The ore was placed in the arrastra, generally a few hundred pounds at a time. Since each one was built on location, they were each somewhat unique in size and construction, although the basic designs were all more or less the same. The ore would be pulverized under the large stones until it was broken down to a coarse dust that could be further processed by the miners. Martin H. Carpenter operated his “arrastra” business for more than 20 years. His customers paid him with gold nuggets and he was much more successful than most miners who came to California during the gold rush days. He invested in land near Altaville, was well known in the community, a friend to everyone, and well respected. He occasionally returned to North Carolina for visits with his family, and sometimes presented them with real “California gold nuggets”. However, this successful miner and man of business loved California and considered it his home. He died 12 January 1892 and was buried at the Protestant Cemetery in Altaville. The above historical information is provided by relatives of Martin H. Carpenter: John Carpenter, a nephew and resident of Maiden, North Carolina; a grandniece, Isabell K. Goodale of Reno Nevada; and grandnephew, Steven A. Denning of Oro Valley Arizona. Contributor: Steven Denning (48667911) • [email protected] California Great Registers Name Martin Henry Carpenter Event Type Voter Registration Event Date 03 Jun 1867 Event Place Angels, Calaveras, California, United States Age 47 Birth Year (Estimated) 1820 Birthplace North Carolina

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Martin Henry Carpenter's memorial?
Martin Henry Carpenter's memorial is located at: Altaville Protestant Cemetery, Angels Camp, Calaveras County, USA.
When did Martin Henry Carpenter death?
Martin Henry Carpenter death on 12 Jan 1892 in Calaveras County, California, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Martin Henry Carpenter's memorial?
Latitude: 38.0785027
Longitude: -120.5598450

Family Members:

Parent

Siblings

John Franklin Carpenter

(1823 - 1907)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Altaville Protestant Cemetery
Angels Camp, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0785027, -120.5598450

2. Altaville Catholic Cemetery
Angels Camp, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0772000, -120.5600000

3. Altaville Serbian Cemetery
Altaville, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0770950, -120.5623930

4. Angels Camp Union Congregational Church Cemetery
Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0705470, -120.5411220

5. Wirefield Indian Burial Ground
Angels Camp, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0342967, -120.5335835

6. Airola-Rasmussen Cemetery
Angels Camp, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0492600, -120.5074900

7. Vallecito Cemetery #1
Vallecito, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0879930, -120.4757420

8. Briseno Ranch Burial Ground
Murphys, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1432650, -120.5294340

9. Vallecito Cemetery #2
Vallecito, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0952610, -120.4723270

10. Fourth Crossing Cemetery
San Andreas, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1305920, -120.6345430

11. Davis Ranch Family Cemetery
Indian Creek, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1555500, -120.5339900

12. Saint Patrick's Catholic Cemetery
Murphys, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1395000, -120.4663000

13. Buena Vista Cemetery
Murphys, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1362000, -120.4580000

14. Gillis Family Cemetery
Tuttletown, Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 37.9994000, -120.4781200

15. Brownsville Mining District Cemetery
Murphys, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1283500, -120.4426300

16. Tuttletown Cemetery
Tuttletown, Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 37.9919100, -120.4568000

17. Copperopolis Cemetery
Copperopolis, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 37.9761260, -120.6424470

18. Springfield Cemetery
Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0227400, -120.4153600

19. Cave City Cemetery
Cave City, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.2023600, -120.5083900

20. Saint Annes Catholic Churchyard
Columbia, Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0306000, -120.4039000

21. Columbia Odd Fellows Cemetery
Columbia, Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0387760, -120.3991480

22. Columbia Masonic Cemetery
Columbia, Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0387710, -120.3991220

23. Columbia Public Cemetery
Columbia, Tuolumne County, USA
Coordinate: 38.0387000, -120.3990000

24. Calaveras County Hospital Cemetery
San Andreas, Calaveras County, USA
Coordinate: 38.1917763, -120.6620941